A Rivers State Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned hearing on the case of economic sabotage against the President General of the National Association of Plant Operators (NAPO) and other executives to Monday, December 19, 2022.

No reason was given for the adjournment as the court did not sit on Monday, November 2022.

Recall that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had on Monday, October 24, 2022 arraigned Harold Benstowe, John Jumbo, Christian Onwuamalam and Monday Nbasi were granted bail by the presiding Magistrate, Amadi Nnah, at Magistrate Court 10 in Port Harcourt and mandated that they appear in court to undergo trials as a guarantee for granting them bail.

They were arraigned in court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and economic sabotage by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) on Thursday, October 13, 2022 in suit number: PMC/RMP/025A/2022 at the same Rivers State Magistrate Court 10.

Reacting to the adjournment, the NAPO President General, Harold Benstowe expressed his displeasure with the process, stressing that they had not committed any crime by mobilizing the workers to protest unfair working conditions they were being subjected to.  

“We are not comfortable because we know we have committed no crime. I would have loved this case to be prosecuted once and for all, but we are law abiding citizens.”

“We have committed no crime, we are labour officers protesting the right of members that are working with Daewoo and the Police instead of doing a proper investigation decided to go the other way round, to arraign us instead of the suspects because as we speak, we are the real complainants.”